Hi, my name is Heidi and I’m a Pride and Prejudice addict. Seriously, I’m getting help.
Well, okay, so I’m not really getting help… but I am slightly obsessed. I love it… the story, the characters, the time period, the witty banter. It gives me joy. I’ve read the book and the annotated version of the book. I’m fairly certain I’ve memorized the movies word for word… both the BBC Colin Firth version and the 2005 Keira Knightly version. I honestly watch them at least once a month. Granted, sometimes “watch” means “have it playing in the background while I read/clean.” Still, I spend more time in the company of Mr. Darcy than is likely normal and/or healthy. I own at least 20 retellings or continuations of the story. Literally, I counted! I’ve read many more from the library. I just… well, I love it.
I say all of this to give you an idea of how thrilled I was to receive an advanced readers copy of Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg. I bought her previous book, The Lonely Hearts Club for my middle school LMC. It hasn’t been on the shelf since the first week of school. My girls just keep passing it around. They LOVE it. So, combine my knowledge that Ms. Eulberg is a fab YA author and my love of (okay, okay, obsession with) Pride and Prejudice and you end up with one very pleased reviewer! Without further ado/rambling:
Prom & Prejudice
by: Elizabeth Eulberg
Review from uncorrected proof . Publication date January 2011.
About the book:(from inside cover)
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single girl of high standing at Longbourn Academy must be in want of a prom date.
After winter break, the girls at the very prestigious Longbourn Academy become obsessed with the prom. Lizzie Bennet, who attends Longbourn on a scholarship, isn’t interested in designer dresses and expensive shoes, but her best friend, Jane, might be — especially now that Charles Bingley is back from a semester in London.
Lizzie is happy about her friend’s burgeoning romance but less than impressed by Charles’s friend, Will Darcy, who’s snobby and pretentious. Darcy doesn’t seem to like Lizzie either, but she assumes it’s because her family doesn’t have money. Clearly, Will Darcy is a pompous jerk — so why does Lizzie find herself drawn to him anyway?
Will Lizzie’s pride and Will’s prejudice keep them apart? Or are they a prom couple in the making? Whatever the result, Elizabeth Eulberg, author of The Lonely Hearts Club, has concocted a very funny, completely stylish delight for any season — prom or otherwise.
My thoughts:
I so enjoyed this book. I don’t think I’m saying that just because I love Pride and Prejudice. I mean, I didn’t really like the retelling where Darcy was a vampire. Just because something is
Pride and Prejudice
related doesn’t mean I’ll automatically love it (although it clearly helps!)
No, I liked this book all on its own. The writing is engaging and fun. Ms. Eulberg doesn’t take it too seriously. She’s doesn’t try to recreate Austen’s
Pride and Prejudice but rather takes it and pays homage in her own unique style. I loved the ways that she works in the names and attributes of people and places from the original. You still have the same main characters but their relationships may be slightly different (Jane and Lizze are roomies and friends, not sisters.) Names may be changed but the “essence” of the characters/relationships tend to be the same.
There were so many aspects of the story that I just found so enjoyable… the boarding schools (Longbourn for girls and Pemberly for boys,) Lizzie as a pianist, prom and it’s critical role at the school, Bingley and Darcy’s semester in London, it all worked so well with Austen’s
Pride and Prejudice and Eulberg’s newly imagined version. ***dreamy sigh*** I just really, really liked it. It was a pleasure to read and when it was over I was smiling. I’m not going to spoil the end but I especially enjoyed the way Darcy and Elizabeth enjoyed prom 🙂
If you haven’t read
& Prejudice to your “to read” pile before your done! You won’t regret it!
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